The present invention relates generally to adjustable mounting brackets for signs and poster display devices for use on gas pump fixtures. More particularly, the invention relates to a universal mounting bracket and system which will fit a wide variety of gas pump makes and models and which may be assembled from a plurality of components selected from a kit.
There are numerous sign stands and poster display devices known today which are used for displaying various signs and messages for advertisement and information to the public. In filling stations or gas stations, it is quite common to position signs or poster display devices on top of the gas pump fixtures in order to advertise gasoline prices or to advertise other goods, promotional items or services being offered at the station. In practice there is a wide variety of different makes and models of gas pump fixtures, in all shapes and sizes. Thus finding a way to secure a sign or poster display device to the top of a gas pump and in particular to a variety of pump tops of different makes makes and models is not a simple problem.
The problem is further compounded by the fact that mounting holes may not be drilled in the top of most gas pumps without voiding the manufacturer's warranty or possibly creating weather damage problems. Most, if not all, present day gas pumps employ sophisticated electronic circuitry, housed within the upper portion of the pump enclosure or housing, which must not be subjected to water leakage. For this reason, most gas pump manufacturers provide no mounting holes in the top of the gas pump, and instruct their customers not to drill any holes.
To avoid drilling holes, the widely accepted prior art solution has been to secure the sign or display device to the top of the gas pump using double sided adhesive tape. However, double sided tape cannot be effectively applied below 40.degree. Fahrenheit and the tape is quite difficult to remove once it has adhered to the top of the pump. This makes routine cleaning and maintenance of the gas pump more difficult. Stubborn double sided tape can often be removed only by scraping or by using strong solvents. Either of these removal methods can scratch or mar the pump's finish. Moreover, since double sided tape adhesions are exposed to weather, and occasionally to gasoline, petroleum products and other solvents, they tend to weaken over time and are apt to fail under heavy wind loading.
Mechanical mounting brackets of the prior art which do not rely on double sided tape present problems of their own. Most problems stem from the fact that their is a wide variety of different makes and models of gas pumps, and no industry-wide standardization. It is not uncommon for one gas station or a chain of gas stations to use several different makes or models at the same site. Unless the display mounting bracket is ordered when the gas pumps are first purchased, it is often quite difficult to later obtain the proper mounting bracket for a particular gas pump, since gas pump model numbers describing the pump housing configuration are often not readily available. This makes it quite difficult for the filling station manager to purchase the necessary mounting bracket by telephone or mail.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved mounting bracket and display device for holding and securing signs, posters and frames to gas pump fixtures of a wide variety of makes and models. It is a further object of the invention to provide, in kit form, the necessary components for assembly of a readily adaptable and adjustable mounting bracket which overcoms the problems heretofore known with existing mounting brackets of both the mechanically-secured and adhesively-secured types. It is a further object to provide a universal mounting bracket which will mechanically secure to the surface of a gas pump fixture, without adhesives and without the need to drill mounting holes. It is still a further object of the invention to provide a mounting bracket system which may be shipped or stored in a compact, disassembled state, and which may be readily assembled without special tools or skills at the filling station site.
In accordance with the invention, a mounting bracket for securing a display device to a fixture is provided which has a cross brace member defining a channel and adapted to receive the display device. In practice, two such cross braces are used to mount the display device. At least one slider member is provided for nesting assembly within each cross brace member, so that the slider member slides or telescopes within the channel defined by the cross brace member. Usually two slider members are used with each cross brace member so that they protrude from opposite ends of the cross brace. A clip is readily attachable to each slider member providing means for gripping the fixture. The cross brace, slider and clip components, so assembled, may be readily adjusted to grip the fixture and to thereby secure the display device to the pump.